WALTHAM, Mass. – Elizabeth Blinn '26 was riding in the passenger's seat with her dad at the wheel. Her final semester as a Bentley student was on the horizon. She would soon leave her home in Concord, New Hampshire for her last round of studies in Waltham. But on this particular January day, volleyball came rushing back to the forefront.
Blinn reached for her phone has her dad steered through Concord. It was an email from American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) CEO Dr. Jaime Gordon. Blinn was formally invited to go to Africa in the summer.
Four weeks after graduating from Bentley, Blinn embarked on a journey that takes her to Tanzania and Kenya as part of the first
AVCA Ambassador Tour. Per the AVCA, outstanding volleyball players from all three NCAA divisions "serve as ambassadors for the sport and engage with volleyball communities." The 'ambassadors' are AVCA All-American and All-Region recipients from the 2025 season.
"It's so cool to be able to visit other countries and have an impact," said Blinn. "I'm really looking forward to being immersed in different cultures."
Following Bentley's 2025 season, Blinn became the first Falcon in program history to be named to an AVCA All-America team. Though a couple Falcons have earned All-America Honorable Mention in the past, Blinn landed on the All-America Third Team following her senior season. Blinn led all of NCAA DII in blocks per set (1.67) in 2025, propelling the Falcons to their third consecutive NCAA East Regional Championship.
Bentley also won the Northeast 10 Regular Season Championship and the NE10 Tournament title in 2025. Blinn was named the NE10 Defensive Player of the Year, and she was the NE10 Championship Most Outstanding Player.
Blinn's athletic prowess is an asset in promoting volleyball some 7,000 miles from home.
"This is about using volleyball as a vehicle for connection, leadership, and impact," said Gordon. "The AVCA Ambassador Tour brings together some of the top student-athletes in the country to serve as ambassadors of the sport to share knowledge, build relationships, and compete at a high level while helping grow volleyball."
The AVCA Ambassador Tour is June 15-25. Shortly after returning to the States, Blinn will begin her full-time job at Protiviti in Boston – the same company she interned for last summer.
